DECEMBER 31, 2008
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After 37 years on Capitol Hill, Pete Rouse, Barack Obama's Senate chief of staff cum White House senior adviser-in-waiting, is known for three things: his mastery of the job (as former Senate minority leader Tom Daschle's chief of staff, Rouse became known as "the 101st senator"); the loyalty he inspires among those who have worked with him (whose numbers are legion); and the cats. Two big, silky Maine Coons named Moose and Junior, Rouse's beloved felines are a source of affectionate humor among current and former colleagues. The gruff 62-year-old keeps photos of the kitties scattered around his office. He obsesses about their well-being (when Moose's predecessor, Earl, passed away in 2003, Rouse was bereft), is a sucker for cat-themed knickknacks, and has guided fellow staffers into adopting their own furry friends (Maine Coons, naturally). Some observers suggest, ever so gently, that Rouse's cat devotion is related to his lack of a personal life. A legendary workaholic in a town where the competition for that distinction is fierce, the (unmarried, childless) Rouse is said to have little time for outside-the-office distractions. There's his occasional Friday night out for an Ivy League hockey game and the one week of summer vacation in August. But, beyond that, Rouse is all about the job. "Pete Rouse is always working," e-mails one fan/colleague. "The first one in the office and the last one to leave." It is a long-term lifestyle that only a cat could love.
Rouse's reputation as a two-cat-no-life workaholic should provide a comforting welcome to Arizona Governor Janet Napolitano, Obama's choice to head Homeland Security. Napolitano is also single, childless, and famously committed to her career. Hearing of Napolitano's appointment, Pennsylvania Governor Ed Rendell declared his fellow chief executive perfect for the post because she has "no family" and "no life" and thus can "devote literally nineteen, twenty hours a day" to the job. Rendell's remarks were derided in some quarters as sexist. But in his defense, we are talking about a woman who, when asked by Phoenix Woman how she unwinds after a long day, replied, "When I come home at night, I read all the papers, memos, legislative bills, and letters that accumulated during that day. ... Then I read a good book. I always read two books at a time--one fiction and one nonfiction." In fact, Napolitano's intense job focus and unmarried status have, in the past, spurred whisper campaigns about her sexuality, prompting the governor to quip that she's not a lesbian, "just a straight, single workaholic."
Happily, Napolitano should also fit right in with White House chief of staff-in-waiting and renowned workaholic Rahm Emanuel, who, as a congressman, was known for calling up staffers and reporters alike at all hours. Loath to miss a minute of the action during this fall's negotiations over the $700 billion financial bailout, Emanuel sought a waiver from his rabbi to allow him to work through Rosh Hashanah.
This is not to suggest that Obama old-timers are complacent slackers: Family confidante and soon-to-be White House senior adviser Valerie Jarrett has an all-hours BlackBerry-cell phone doublefisting habit that, whatever else it achieves, makes her a thrill behind the wheel. (Trust me on this.) One of Chicago's savviest political players, Jarrett's m.o. has long been to outwork those around her--a particular challenge in her early years of single-parenthood. (Daughter Laura is now all grown up and ensconced at Harvard Law.) Back in the summer, Jarrett recalled to me how, at one point during her tenure as Chicago Mayor Richard M. Daley's deputy chief of staff, she was lectured by Daley's wife, Maggie, for working too hard. "She told me, 'You have got to take one day a week off to be with your daughter.' I said, 'I can't do that.' And she said, 'The mayor doesn't work on Sunday, why should you?'" Jarrett's compromise was to start taking Laura along to weekend work functions.
The list of known and suspected Obama work-obsessives stretches on and on. There's Peter Orszag, the incoming head of the Office of Management and Budget, who colleagues say is responsible for lots of 5 a.m.-ish e-mails; incoming deputy chiefs of staff Jim Messina and Mona Sutphen; economics guru Jason Furman; Cabinet Secretary-designate Chris Lu; and Secretary of State-designate Hillary Clinton. Of course, some suggest it all started with campaign manager David Plouffe, who isn't transitioning to the administration, but whose keep-your-head-down-and-work-your-ass-off style established the model for Obamaland early on.
Whatever the origins, a defining characteristic of the emerging Obama White House is its proud embrace of the work-all-hours, sleep-is-for-wimps, personal-lives-would-be-nice-if-only-there-were-time ethos. Ironically, Michelle Obama has talked about how she wants to help Americans improve their work-life balance during her tenure as First Lady. Before moving on to the general public, though, she might want to start with the people who work for her husband. Because, whatever other change Obama ultimately brings to Washington, he has already put the workaholics back in charge.
This move stands in vivid contrast to the much-ballyhooed culture of laid-back family-friendliness touted by the incoming Bush administration in 2001. (Remember how adviser Karen Hughes was going to establish a White House in which working moms like her could thrive?) In part, the reversion is a by-product of the times: President Bush came to power with no clear crises looming, whereas Americans today are frantic for President Obama to doggedly attack problems on both the domestic and foreign fronts, work-life balance be damned.
But the difference is also--and arguably more--a function of presidential temperament. George W. Bush, an extravagantly laid-back guy himself, evinced a disdain for the sweaty, striving meritocrats so characteristic of the Clinton White House and made it clear that he valued a less-driven atmosphere. (Perhaps it all goes back to those snotty, "intellectually superior" jerks who chafed W. 's haunches at Yale.) Bush envisioned himself atop a lower-key administration run with crisp corporate efficiency and no-nonsense decisiveness. (Work smarter, not harder!) The genial Andy Card, Bush's first chief of staff, was in particular known for his easygoing manner and indulgence of moms who needed to slip out for afternoon school functions.
To be sure, Washington being Washington, Bushworld was never quite the work-life Eden advertised. For every Andy Card, there was a Type A hard-charger like Ken Mehlman, Karl Rove, or Josh Bolten (who, it must be noted, eventually replaced Card). Heck, even Card reportedly rose at 4:20 each morning, stayed at the office not infrequently until 10 p.m., and spent most weekends working. Karen Hughes, meanwhile, fled Washington after just a year and a half because of the job's strain on her family. No matter: Right up to the end, the perception of the Bush White House--and the self-conception that the president obviously preferred--was of a place where time could always be made for a little brush-clearing.
Obama's initial approach appears markedly different. Even in a city known for its strivers, his appointees seem to be a disproportionately intense bunch. On one level, this is precisely what you want in unsettling times. But it may also prove trouble down the road. Burnout is a risk in any White House, and already some Obama devotees with children have expressed concern about how their schedules will mesh with family life. (Not that this has stopped most of them from signing on, mind you.) What happens a year or so into Obama's tenure, when the brutal work-til-you-drop culture starts pushing scores of idealistic staffers into therapy, divorce court, or even the private sector? In the relentless crucible of the White House, how can Obama avoid driving his uber-committed workforce into the ground?
I have four words for the new president: Inaugural kittens for everyone.
Michelle Cottle is a senior editor at The New Republic. This article originally ran in December 2008.
22 comments
So after enduring an absentee President who spent more time golfing and dodging shoes than he did leading, you are now finding fault with people who might actually do what they were elected to do, and WORK? Remarkable.
- arkum107
January 6, 2009 at 11:12am
What do these people actually "work" at? According to the story they spend 18 hours a day at the work place, or reading bills and committee reports, but what do they accomplish? Learning more and more about nothing much is not a good path to success. Making good decisions depends on what you want to achieve, which depends on what your values are.
- Just Curious
January 6, 2009 at 2:15pm
Arkum107, you speak my mind.
- LadyPolitik
January 6, 2009 at 3:20pm
Not only does Arkum107 speak my mind, but Ms. Cottle seems to be living under a rock because she has not seemed to notice that the bottom is about to fall out of the economy, and in every other aspect of American life. There is a hierarchy of priorities and the pursuit of a healthy work-life balance is going to be pretty low on the list in light of recent events. As Seth and Amy ask on SNL's weekend update segment, Really?!?! Really?!?! Ms. Cottle?! This is what you are worried about when we are on the brink of a depression? Really?!
- LadyPolitik
January 6, 2009 at 3:28pm
I don't get the criticism. Given the choice between people who are devoted wholesale to their jobs, or people who prefer to put off dealing with, oh, the economic crisis or terrorism updates so they can enjoy a movie, I prefer the grinds. And these people have lived their lives as grinds -- it's who they are. If they haven't burned out by now, I assure you they won't in the next four years.
- whatever
January 6, 2009 at 5:12pm
I hope they get something done and are not just sending e-mails to each other and running their Ivy educated mouths. Hope they take the times and their task very seriously. It won't all be a elite vacation on an island. People are hurting so lets pray they are doing more than seeing who can show up at the office 7 days a week. I know a lot of people who look like they work a lot but accomplish very little.
- dee
January 6, 2009 at 6:16pm
The Borgen Project has informative statistics on addressing global poverty. $30 billion ends world hunger $550 billion is the US Defense budget This organization has the ability, resources, and policy-makers to suppress the threat of global poverty by enacting legislation here in the US, which is tied to the United Nation's Millennium Development Goals. Please support organizations such as The Borgen Project so that we may rid the world of poverty.
- Abel Tsegga
January 6, 2009 at 6:42pm
Honestly, inaugural kittens sounds like a good idea
- Andrew
January 6, 2009 at 6:43pm
62 and single and childless! Oh my god! Oh my god!! OH. MY. GOD!!!
- Ollie
January 6, 2009 at 9:42pm
Btw, as for the Bush bashing, W is a legendary early riser, starting his workday at 7 am, after rising at 5 am. He's also known for his punctuality - as are many of his closest staff - Rummy showed up at 6 am every day, Condi is up a 4:30 in the morning and is knows to foreign leaders as being available and working all hours of the day. Sorry, I'm just a stickler for facts. My complaint about workaholics in general is that they tend to lose perspective due to exhaustion and stress. I see many of these types in corporate America, sending emails out at 4 am and all through the weekend. Perhaps is you have a menial job, and crunching your way through it is key, great. But leaders need to make the right calls, setting priorities and tone/culture while motivating their people. These kinds of responsibilities don't easily yield themselves to the amount of time spent on them, rather they come from a person's core values and vision. My experience with workaholics is that they tend to be insecure and seek to overcome their limitations with sheer effort. Whatever happened to thinking that being a balanced person is good for your productivity and effectiveness?
- Glenn
January 6, 2009 at 9:53pm
One of the first things Jimmy Carter did when he came into office was to advise his staff to get plenty of sleep. This would be good advice for Obama, himself. On the campaign trail, it was obvious that he functioned poorly when sleep deprived. He also seems to be affected by jet lag more so than his predecessors. I like the fact that those who are taking over large responsibilities are committed to their jobs and are willing and capable of working long hours. But their effectiveness in their jobs is dependent on the same biological and emotional factors that affect normal human beings. They need to schedule in daily and weekly personal time off; not as much as Bush schedules for himself, but enough to stay balanced and not become overwhelmed.
- Jerry Waxman
January 6, 2009 at 9:54pm
Odd how how this article appears to describe Obama and Clinton Democrats as work-o-holics and Bush Republicans as laid-back lazy guys. (I am a registered Democrat, by the way. Full confession, I voted for McCain). That seems to be the implication. And it also seems to be a contradiction of stereotypes. Most people who work in the "Corporate world" are probably bristling as they read this article, as those people usually identify themselves as Conservative and Republican and work on average 60 hours a week. But then again they are probably not even reading this article because they are.... well... still at work and do not read left-leaning magazines. My experience in the "Corporate world," where I have inhabited my entire adult working life, is with over-whelmingly Republican Conservative work-o-holics. So when someone is attacking Bushies as lazy people who play golf, the very idea of that seems.... well.... absurd. Perhaps I have read the political party interpretation unfairly. Whatever the interpretation, my hats off to Obama for preferring work-o-holics. From what I have observed, they tend to get things done, to the betterment of everyone else. God bless them. They sacrifice their lives so the rest of us can live better. I do not mean to denigrate other work-styles (like my own). Work hard and do good. If you do it all at the same place like Obama and his people (and all the work-o-holic Republican Conservatives who I know), then good. If you divide your "do-good" time between various places and causes then that is good too. People hire those with whom they share values. Obama values single-minded work-o-holics. One would hope that Bush values those who balance their "do-good-ism" in different ways. Just spend your time doing good.
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January 6, 2009 at 11:20pm
I had a business partner who had the exact same mentality. No sleep, work until dropping or farther. Incredibly damaging to morale and homelife of everyone around. Even if hardly anything meaningful got done, one had to be there and working at all hours or else be dismissed as not useful. I'm all for pulling out all the stops to get things done, but this "one more all-nighter" attitude is useless and destructive.
- Thes Quid
January 7, 2009 at 7:18am
this Rouse guy - 62 single and never home?- the person i've been looking for - sounds like the guy for me!-
- budy920
January 7, 2009 at 11:04am
No marriage: fine. No family: fine. No life: fine. But going without sleep?!?! Now _that_ is madness. Depriving oneself of sleep simply impairs one's judgment. There is no value to that.
- buell
January 7, 2009 at 2:45pm
Well put Ollie
- Reader
January 7, 2009 at 2:51pm
If you are getting a chance of a life time how can you sleep? This is a no-brainer to me. What can be better than being at the center of power? If you're looking to slip out early your elevator doesn't go all the way to the top. As far a Reagan taking a lot of naps it was just an act to him, and he was prealzheimers. If you're not just fakin' it you got to be lovin' it.
- Craig Travis
January 7, 2009 at 6:01pm
The question in the article of, where did the hiring of work-a-holics start is simple to answer. The people picked by Obama have demonstrated the "I will out work everyone else" attitude that he has also adopted and adhered to. Obama is known to work harder and longer than others to achieve respect and results. He therfore expects nothing less than those around him. Sounds good for the country.
- rand44
January 7, 2009 at 6:20pm
Too bad the tone of the piece aggrandizes the workaholic at the expense of those who choose to raise a family or engage in other aspects of "life". The Messiah should exemplify work-life balance and lead the masses of over-worked, abused, and enslaved Americans (damn those evil corporations) to said balance. Now instead of a lame Bush administration only working 40 hours a week (as the article implies) to ruin our country in one way, we get an equally lame Obama administration that will work 100 hours a week to ruin our country even faster. Splendid. Absolutely splendid...
- BruceWallace
January 8, 2009 at 2:24pm
Brilliant! I love the premise of this idiotic article. Reminds me of the interview question: Define your greatest flaw. Answer: I work too hard. Obama works too hard. His administration works too hard. As opposed to the outgoing president who was a lazy ass. How many more of these ass-kissing articles must we endure for the next 4 years?
- jwl2672
January 9, 2009 at 4:21pm
Speaking of work, remind me again what Obama's attendance record in the Senate was? Sure didn't seem like work flexing those pecs and playing golf and basketball. Oh, that's right, he needed to relax his massive brain muscle. You wacky biased reporters have an answer for everything. "He gave us the middle finger. Oh he has a muscular nervous twitch. How endearing!"
- jwl2672
January 9, 2009 at 4:24pm
Obama's problem (or, more accurately, his close advisors' problem) is tone deafness. So how will someone with no personal life, no life outside the DC chamber, change that?
- rayward
October 1, 2010 at 8:02am